First Andy Schleck and Stuart O’Grady are thrown out of the Vuelta, thus providing an ill-tempered ending their Saxo Bank careers, in an alcohol-induced fog (the size of which is still disputed – two beers and an early’ish night, or a late, boozy session on town?), then Fabian Cancellara follows suit by simply climbing off his bike and heading off to the airport without further ado or further comment. He will now be leaving Saxo Bank too, despite the sizeable fee apparently required to buy him out of his contract.
That communication and good relations broke down in Saxo Bank some time ago is nothing new, so it is perhaps not that surprising that the end is turning out to be acrimonious for some of the riders, but I’m still staggered by the lack of professionalism, if these reports are to be believed. These riders didn’t just have a responsibility towards Saxo Bank and Bjarne Riis, after all, but also to their team mates. All three are still under contract, and no matter how near the end might be, they should honour their obligations and act accordingly.
It also puts me in mind of Schleck and Contador’s incident in the Tour de France, in which Contador was lambasted for not playing the gentleman and waiting when Schleck’s chain fell off. Schleck’s Vuelta episode was off the bike rather than on it, and in breach of team orders rather than the moral code of the road, but it still speaks of lack of respect. Regardless of intentions, alcohol quantity and eventual bed-time, it was an unprofessional and selfish thing to do. We’d have been unsurprised had he been a footballer, perhaps, but most people expect better from cyclists.
What I would like to know is what Frank Schleck thinks of all this. All the above were his helpers in the race, in which he eventually finished 5th, 4’43” behind winner Vincenzo Nibali. His relationship with brother Andy is famously close, and his comments about the incident were magnanimous enough, but a climber of Andy’s abilities would have been rather handy to have around, you’d have thought.
Cancellara is a different issue, and it’s not yet clear whether he will follow the Schlecks to the new Luxembourg team, or somewhere else, perhaps BMC Racing. His abrupt departure came as a surprise to Riis and Bradley McGee, Saxo Bank’s Director Sportif, with whom he’d had an altogether different agreement.
Cancellara took a surprising third during the time trial in the Vuelta, and his exit might be motivated by a desire to be fit for the World Championships, which he’s said he will only participate in if he feels fit, as he has ‘a status I need to honour’. I take that to mean he is only interested in riding if he can win, which sounds a wee bit cowardly.
All in all, I’d say none of these riders came out of the Vuelta with much dignity.
Tags: Alberto Contador, Andy Schleck, Bjarne Riis, Bradley McGee, Cycling, Fabian Cancellara, Frank Schleck, grand tours, procycling, Saxo Bank, Stuart O'Grady, Tour de France, touring, Vuelta
